68 VAR. JAMATCENSIS. 



pupil in Mr. Lintucr's example is in the upper part of the black spot, in mine it occupies the centre, in 

 Drury's figure the right hand pupil is in the centre, and the left hand more towards the lower j)art. 



Drury'-^ figure in tiie original edition of 1773 lias the thorax, alxlonien and primaries flesh or fawn-eolored, 

 and the costal and outer margins of secondaries yellow, of which latter color no mention whatever is made in 

 the description with which ^Ir. J^intner's example and mine agree exactly. Drury mentions particularly in 

 his preface that he hopes any inaccuracies in the illustrations will be credited to their proper source, the artists, 

 and it is evident that in this instance the artists laid on gamboge with the intention of improving nature, for 

 which they doubtless considered themselves fully comiietent. In Westwood's edition of Drury, published in 

 1837, the bright yellow had grown in such favor in the sight of the artists, that in addition to the margins of 

 .secondaries, they extended operations and lai<l the favored jjignient also over the abdomen. 



Drury's figures represent a male, Mr. Lintner's example and mine arc females. 



Grote and Robinson contended that Drury's figure represented a distinct species; they say " Smerinthus 

 Jamaiecnais, Drury sp., seems to us, judging from Drury's figure and description, cjuite distinct from the north- 

 ern species from the Atlantic District," * and Mr. (Jrote expresses the same belief in his last Catalogue,t where 

 he thinks it must be conceded that Mr. I>intner's reasons are partly speculative when he refers Drury's figure 

 to S. Geniinatus ; we do not think anything of the sort must be conceded, when we are fully inibrmed of the 

 fact that Mr. Lintner's sj)ecimen, which agrees with Drury's description and figure, with the exception of the 

 false coloring on secondaries of latter, was produced from ova deposited by Geniinatus. 



Fabrieius thought Drury's figure was intended for S. Ocellata, and as Smith says, " quotes it as such 

 without any scruple.",! 



With regard to Drury's locality of Jauuiica, it is scarcely necessary to state that the earlier writers, owning 

 to the want of precise information, frequently gave erroneous localities; thus, Cramer cites Dys. Boreus as a 

 native of India, whilst its true home is Surinam, and to come nearer home, Donovan figures our Anth. Genutia 

 in his " Insects of India." I would further remark the well attested fact, that so far thci-e is no authentic in- 

 .stanee of any species of Smerinthus having yet been found in the West Indies, or South and Central America. 



We think a critical comparison of our figure with Drury's illustration and description will convince the 

 most skeptical of their identity. 



That we cannot summarily dispose of the name Jamaicenn'ni, so utterly inapplicable to a form indigenous 

 to New York and Maryland, is nuich to be deplored, but according to the same law of priority that allows 

 the stability of such a name as Scltmidliiformis, § it will have to remain so. 



SMERINTHUS OPTHALMICUS. Boisduval. 



Ann. Soc. Ent., France. (1855.) 



(PLATE YII, FIG. 4, J', 5, ?.) 



Malk and FEJfALK. Expand 3 to 3J inches. 



Head and palpi brown ; thorax pale grey, with a large dark brown dorsal patch ; abdomen brown. 



Upper surface; primaries, a large pale grey basal patch, edged outwardly with dark brown, which latter 

 extends obliquely across the wing outside of the white iliscal lune to the costa ; beyond this are several other 

 brown, undulate transverse lines and shades ; the space from these to outer margin is brown, with an irregular 

 grey band extending from the inner angle to within a short distance of the apex ; a grey dash at the apc-x. 

 Secondaries rose-color ; outer margin clay-color; costal and inner margins yellowish white; ocellus black, 

 enclosing a blue iris which encircles a black pupil ; this is connected with the anal angle by a short black 

 band. 



Under surface ; primaries, basal half rosy, with a narrow white diseal mark ; outer half brown, with some 

 rather indistinct whitish transverse lines; costa whilish. Secondaries brown, traversed by a broad pale median 

 band and .several dark brown lines; a white diseal mark ; co.sta white. 



Of the larva I am able to say nothing; as far as I am aware, it is as yet unknown. 



Habitat. California, Washington Ty., Lake Superior. 



There is between the male and female examples from California but little difference in colouration ; but 

 a female from Lake Superior (of which fig. 5 is a representation) has the markings of primaries of a less de- 



• Proo. Ent. Soc. Phila., Vol. V. p. 185. (1865 ) 



t Hull. Butr. Sne. Nat. Sc, Vol. I, p. -23. (1873.) 



j Abbot & Smltli, Insects of Georgia. Vol. 1, p. 49. (1797.) 



S Sesla Sclimidtiirormis, Fro^cr. (1S3C.\ 



